Improvement in tanning-mills



28h El MICHAEL' i eets Sheet 1 Grain Winnower.

No. 90,570. Patented May 25, 1869.

N. Farms, Phommmmpw. wasnmgmn. n. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. MICHAEL.

Grain Winnower.

No. 90,570. Patented May 25, 1869.

ICLVLlS MICHAEL, Ol`

LA PORTE, INDIANA.

Letters Patent No. 90,570, dated liIay 25, 1562i.

IMPROVEMENT IN FANNING-IVIILLS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIS MICHAEL, of La Porte,

in the county of La Porte, and State of Indiana, have' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fan` ning-Mills; and I do hereby declare that the followingl is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, Yreference being had to the accomprnying drawings, un'lkiug part of this specification, and to 'the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts whereever they occur.

'.lo enable otlmrs` skillol in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention consists in certain improvements in the construction of tanning-mills for cleaning grain, whereby they are made to operate more perfect-ly, as hereinafterl described.

Figure l. is a side elevation.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, taken ou the line y-y of fio- 3.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal horizontal section, taken on the line :L'x of tig. 1.

Figures 4, 5, and (S are views of portions shown nere in detail.

In constructing my improved mill, I make the body,

of the side-boards A, legs B, and fan-case (l, with the fan, in` the usual manner. g \Vithiu the rear portion of the case, I place a shoe, F. which is suspended at or near its rear end by vertical rods d, its front end having an arm, R, rigidly attac'hed, and which passes forward below the hopper and above the fan-case C, and has its front end pivoted by a piu or bolt, g, at a -point near the front of tlo fan-case C, as shown in fig. 2.

By thus throwing this point of attachment far forward, the shoe is made to move in a much larger arc of a circle than is usual, and thereby the motion imparted to the sieves in the shoe comes more nearly to that of a direct motion at right angles to the body of the mill, and more etectually shakes up the grain at the front end of the sieves f, where it first strikes upon them as it passes from the hopper.

In order to impart to the shoe a greater number of vibrations at each revolution of the fan-shaft, as is sometimes necessary, and at the same time be able to change to the ordinary number at will, I construct the tumbler or elbow-lever, which imparts motion to the shoe, in a peculiar manner, as represented in iig. 5.

As there shown, it will be seen that, in addition to the arms a and t, placed at right angles, I add another arm, lr, which stands in lineI with the outer arm il, and maybe considered as an extension of the same on the opposite side of the axis 7.'. Y

This tumbler H is connected by its outer arm u to a rod, m, which has its opposite end connected to a disk, I, on the end of the fan-shaft J, in the usual manner, the disk I being provided with a series of holes, at different distances from its centre, as shown in tig. l, hy which means the distance that the rod m, and consequently the lshoe and tumbler, moves may' be varied-at will, this, however, not being new.

A rod, yi, is connected at one end to the slice l, and

at its opposite. end hooks into holes in either the arm V t or r ofthe tumbler Il', as shown in iigs. 3 and 5. y

ln the ordinary use of the mill, the rod 'i is hooked into the arm t, and when so arranged, it will follow that at each revolution of the fan-shaft I, the shoe F will he thrown or shoved once over, and drawn once back, its to-and-fro movement being from one to the other of the lilies 7i and d' of lig. 5, this being the ordinary plan of operating the shoe of mills. g

But when it is desired to impart to the shoe a shorter and more rapid movement, then the rod i is hooked to the arm r, and then the number of movements or vibrations imparted to the shoe will be doubled, and their distance lessened.

As the shaft revolves, the extremity ofthe arm lr will move from its centre s on line a', in the aro of a circle, around to the position indicated in red at s, on line c', and thence back to i: again, thus giving to the shoe I" one movement over and one back, through the space between the lines a and o'; and as the shaft J performs thc remaining half of its revolution, the end ot' thel arm r, instead of stopping at L on its return, passes on from thence around to the position indicated by red at 'c on line c', and from thence back to: again, from where it iirst started. Thus, by this plan, I produce two movements in each direction, or four movements in all, at each revolution of the tan-shaft.

The air is admitted to thc fan at the sides, as usual, but the slides for regulating its admission, I arrange as follows:

One slide, E, is placed at the rear of the fan-shaft, as shown in figs. 1 and 3. An opening is left in each side Yof the body of the case, extending from the front to the rear posts B, and the slide E is tted to slide to and fro in this opening, the slide E having a tongue upon its upper and lower edges, which lit into grooves in the sides A, so that while the slide E is thus held and guided, it comes flush with the outside of the casing oi: body A, as shown iu tiff. 3.

When this slide E is closed, as represented in a. l, the space behind it is open, so that the sides of the shoe F arel exposed; and to prevent the air from the fanfrom escaping alongside of the shoe, or through this opening, I place ou the inside of the case, ou each side, directly in front of the shoe, an inclined board, q, figs. 2 and 3, which boards serve to direct the blast into and through the shoe.

Another slide, D, is placed iu front of the fan-shaft, where it rests on a cleat, u', which, as usual, forms the front handles. of the mill.

A bar, h, ti g. l, has one end pivoted to the slide D, iis other end being pivoted to the cleat w, so that when the slide is raised and moved back to the position shown in red, it will `be held there by the bar le, it being also held closed, as shown. by the same means, when its position is reversed.

By these means, I save lumber in making the body of the mill, have the side between the postsfush or smooth, and can regulate the dranghtof air perfectly.

In order to hold the slide M oi' the hopper', as desired, to regulate the feed of the grain to the sieves, I fasten a cleat, n., upon the face of the slide, and then place over that a spring bar, o, which is fastened at each end to the hopper beyond the slide, as represented in fig. 4. The spring-bar causes sufficient friction to hold the slide at any desired point, and at the same time permitting of any 'degree of adjustment desired.

The shoe F, I provide with a. gang of sieves, of' peculiar construction, as shown in figs. 2 and. The front part of the sieve nearest the hopper has the transverse wires placed nearer together than the rest, whereby the meshes at the front are made narrower than over the main body of the sieve.

The wires running lengthwise of the sieve are secured to the front bar b, on its under side, and to the rear bar y on its upper side, as shown iu fig. 2. By this means a ledge is provided at the front to prevent the grain from being shaken olf, while at the rear end a smooth or plane surface is left, that permits the grain .or chaii and other material to pass oif` freely without obstruction.

.ln the bottom part 0f the shoe, under the sieves, 1 arrange two grain-boards of novel construction. The upper board is composed of a statiimary part, K, and a movable part, K', the latter having hinged to its front edge a narrow piece, L, by which the parts K and Kvlnay be unit-ed, when the piece L is raised up, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, there being a button, a, secured upon the front of L, in such a `position that it can be turned so as to rest upon the fi-ont board K, as shown in g. 3, and thus hold the board L up level with the boards K and K', and thus present a con-` tinuous surface, down which the grain will pass to the delivery-board U below.

When desired, however, this door or strip L may be let d'own, as shown in red, in fig. 2, by which'thc grain that falls upon the rear board K will be conducted down upon a lower board, N, underneath, or by drawing back the boards K and L to the position indicated by the blue lines in iig.' 2, the grain falling on hoard K will pass through an opening, c, in board N upon a spout, O, which delivers at one side into a spout, p, attached to the inside of' the casing A, at either side of the mill, the spout 0 being inclined and arranged diagonally, as shown by the dotted lines in iig. 3.

It will thus be seen that the grain may be assorted, and each kind or quality delivered separately;- and thus, in the operation oi' fanning or cleaning it, the grain may also be graded ready for market, or for anv other purpose desired.

By these various improvements, I am enabled to construct a very superior mill, and one that operates in a very superior manner.

Having thus described my invention,

'1. The combination of the grain-board K andthe adjustable board K with the intervening hinged board L, substantially as set forth.

2. 'lhe arrangement of the grain-boards K, L, and K', in connection with the secondary grain-board'N, substantially as herein described. y

3. The side delivering spout L), in combination with the opening c, andadjustable board K, arranged to operate substantially as described.

4. The -grain-sieves j', having the meshes at their front madesmaller. than at the rear, and having the wires attached-to the under side ot' the front bar, and to the upper side ot' the rear bar, as described.

5. Suspending the shoe F at its front by means of an arm, R, pivoted in front of the front posts B, substantially as described.

6. The spring-bar @arrange-.l to hold the slide M ol the hopper, as set forth.

7. The slides D, having the pivoted bar h. att-aimed, as set forth.

8. The slides E, arranged to slide in the opening in the side of' the oase A, and be ush therewith, as do scribed.

In testimony whereof', I have' signed my name. to this specification, in the presence oi' two subscribing` witnesses.

ELLIS MICHAEL. Witnesses JOHN B. FRA vnl., A. M. VEED. 

